Early the next morning.
Wei Xian, Eliza, and Akomann were dragged out of their beds by Wu Liang.
All three women were still bleary-eyed, especially Eliza and Akomann. Wu Liang had kept them busy until midnight, and now they had no energy left.
"Wu Liang, let me sleep a bit longer. I couldn't sleep last night because you guys were making so much noise."
Wei Xian caressed her belly indignantly, her face full of resentment.
Being pregnant made her prone to overthinking, and having her curiosity piqued by those three all night had left her feeling restless and frustrated.
Eliza and Akomann glanced at each other, their faces flushing slightly.
Wu Liang gave a cheeky grin, pulled one into each arm, and said mysteriously:
"Didn't I say? I'm taking you to see something even more fun."
Akomann rubbed her eyes and squinted at Wu Liang.
"You guy, I don't know where you get so much energy. You're always tossing us around. Can't we go later?"
She had been taught a lesson with all sorts of 'new knowledge' last night. Now, seeing Wu Liang's grinning face made her teeth itch with annoyance.
"Let's go, let's go. I got up early and arranged everything. I'm just waiting for the three of you to get there so we can start."
The group arrived at the Military Workshop, where a new furnace had been erected.
It looked smaller than the iron-smelting blast furnace, but its structure was more complex, especially with higher requirements for refractory materials and sealing.
A roaring coal fire was burning in the hearth, making crackling sounds and heating the surrounding air to a scorching temperature.
Beside the new furnace lay a pile of pure white sand, some leftover plant ash, and limestone transported back from Black Wind Valley.
"The 'more fun thing' you mentioned is just watching you burn rocks?"
Akomann looked at the bustling scene with a face full of confusion.
"This is different from burning lime."
Wu Liang grinned and pointed at the pile of sand.
"Today, I'm going to use this sand and these rocks to teach you how to fire glass."
"glass? What is that?"
The three women looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Don't be in a hurry. You'll know once it's fired."
As Wu Liang was speaking, an Artisan walked over.
"My Lord, everything is ready. We can begin at any time."
Wu Liang nodded. "Start!"
He directed the Artisans to mix the sieved pure quartz sand, plant ash alkali, and limestone powder according to a specific ratio.
Then, they carefully loaded all the prepared raw materials into a clay crucible.
Using long iron tongs they had forged, the Artisans sent the crucible into the roaring kiln.
"This sand is called quartz sand; it's the main material for firing glass."
"That plant ash contains alkaline components, which serve to lower the melting point."
"And the limestone is added to increase the stability of the fired glass."
Wu Liang explained to the surrounding Artisans and the three women while keeping his eyes on the roaring furnace fire.
"Oh..."
The Artisans looked at each other, and the three women were even more lost. Quartz? Melting point? They didn't understand at all.
Wu Liang shook his head; this was the downside of a lack of education.
"Increase the blast! Get the temperature to the maximum for me!"
At Wu Liang's command, several Artisans immediately worked the bellows with all their might.
The coal burned fiercely in the kiln, the temperature climbing rapidly and emitting a terrifying heatwave that even made the surrounding air begin to distort.
"Firing glass takes some time. Let's go attend to other things first and come back to check tonight."
Wu Liang looked at the nearby Artisans.
"Just do everything as I said. Remember, the temperature—you must keep it at the maximum!"
Wu Liang instructed them solemnly.
"Yes!"
Although the Artisans didn't understand, they had long grown accustomed to executing Wu Liang's orders unconditionally.
Next came the long wait.
The kiln's temperature was pushed higher and higher, until even the kiln mouth spat out scorching tongues of fire.
It wasn't until midnight.
News came from the Military Workshop, and Wu Liang hurried over again with the three women.
The timing was perfect. When they arrived and looked through the observation port, they could see that the mixture inside the kiln had completely melted.
The contents of the crucible had turned from solid into a pot of orange-red, viscous liquid.
It was glittering and writhing like molten lava.
"It's done!"
Wu Liang's eyes lit up, and he immediately had the Artisans stop the bellows.
"Quick! Take out the crucible!"
Wu Liang gave the order.
Two Artisans used specially made extended iron tongs to jointly clamp the red-hot crucible out of the kiln, placing it steadily on the nearby sand.
"Heavens... what is this?"
When they saw the flowing colors and the liquid emitting lethal heat inside the crucible,
Wei Xian, Eliza, and Akomann couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
"Go get the newly forged iron pipe and do exactly as I taught you."
Wu Liang instructed one of the Artisans, who brought over a long iron pipe.
This iron pipe was something he had specifically asked the Blacksmith Shop to forge; one end was a mouthpiece, and the other was slightly enlarged.
This iron pipe was something he had specifically asked the Blacksmith Shop to forge; one end was a mouthpiece, and the other was slightly enlarged.
Under everyone's tense gaze, Wu Liang had the Artisan dip the enlarged end of the iron pipe into the crucible.
He gave it a light dip in the scorching liquid and then quickly pulled it out.
At the end of the iron pipe, a fiery red, viscous mass like maltose was now attached.
"Blow! Just like I told you, take it slow!"
Wu Liang commanded.
The Artisan hesitated for a moment, then brought the other end of the iron pipe to his lips, took a deep breath, and slowly blew air into it.
As the Artisan continuously blew in air, the fiery red viscous mass began to slowly expand and grow, forming a hollow sphere.
The watching Artisans and Female Warriors all cried out in amazement.
"It... it... it's getting bigger!"
Eliza covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes wide and round, speechless.
Wei Xian and Akomann were also stunned, subconsciously rubbing their eyes.
Wu Liang had the Artisan rotate the iron pipe while blowing.
Using rotation and gravity, the molten glass became more uniform.
Soon, the rough prototype of a bottle appeared.
Wu Liang had the Artisan press the bottom of the bottle against a smooth stone slab to form a flat base.
Then, using a pair of iron tongs, he slightly adjusted the bottle's mouth before carefully tapping the still-glowing glass bottle off the iron pipe.
"Put it into a pit filled with plant ash and let it cool slowly."
Only after finishing all this did Wu Liang let out a long breath.
"Alright, once it cools down completely, you'll know what glass is."
The waiting process was agonizing.
Everyone wished they could see the finished product immediately.
Over an hour later, once Wu Liang confirmed the cooling was complete,
The Artisan carefully took the bottle out of the plant ash and used a piece of linen to wipe the dust off the surface.
When a crystal-clear bottle, sparkling under the light, appeared before everyone, the scene instantly fell into a chorus of gasps.
"This... this is... glass?"
Eliza stared at the glass bottle, her eyes shining.
It was so beautiful.
The bottle was completely transparent; one could clearly see the view on the other side, though it was slightly distorted.
The sunlight passed through the bottle, casting a bright spot of light on the ground.
"Take it and have a look."
Wu Liang smiled and handed the bottle to Eliza, who was standing on her tiptoes to see.
The cold and smooth sensation traveled from Eliza's fingertips, making her cry out in wonder.
She curiously held the bottle up to her eyes and looked at Wu Liang's face through it; his handsome face looked somewhat strange behind the transparent wall.
"So... so miraculous..."
"This... was this really made from sand?"